Does anyone out there use Garmin inReach, Spot or an alternative? As lockdown restrictions here in Scotland are eased I’ll be keen to head slightly off the beaten track on my gravel bike. There are some areas I could get to quite quickly that have no phone reception due to the geography. The initial costs and subscriptions for Garmin inReach are pretty eye-watering but it seems to be industry leading; Spot isn’t as bad but doesn’t seem to have the functionality of Garmin.
Does anyone have experience of the Garmin LiveTrack feature? It sounds like that won’t work without phone reception. Grateful for any insight!
I used Spot for Round Denmark Bike Race. It worked fine apart from a change of batteries.
However the customer service from them is dreadful and the contract will auto renew & proved difficult to cancel.
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Thanks - this seemed to be a recurring issue with Spot that I saw online which made me think if I’m going to pay for it at all I should pay for Garmin…
I’ve been subscribed to Spot for quite some time. Including SOV. Thankfully, I’ve never had to ‘press the button’ but the fam refuse to be w/o live tracking that works anywhere in the world. I ride in a lot of places where my cell phone won’t work. I’ve never ridden anywhere where the Spot ping didn’t work…well, except on the trainer in my utility room.
Spot is not for everyone. You are a special kind of cyclist if you need it, but if you are that kind of cyclist Spot is a handy tool for certain sure!
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